I'm not sure why people would NOT want to carry their passport with them. Like my drivers license at home, I simply keep it in my purse at all times. I am not a big worry-wort generally speaking, but it just seems prudent to keep it with you while you are traveling in a foreign country.

What if you get into an unexpected situation of some kind? To my mind the document is just to important to be separated from (with the exception of overnight trains where you must hand it over to the conductor).

I have never carried my regular passport. I always carry a copy. I have my drivers licence with me. That's easier to replace when I get home. That way the license shows a similar picture.

Intrepid1 As far as animals in the cargo hold, the pilot is notified that there are animal in the hold so they make sure it's pressureized and war. That's why if you ever fly with an animal you need to make sure the pilot was informed. I don't know if larger planes like 747's and 777 are different, but the older domestic flights are that way.

As far as cheese. I don't know about Paris, but in Italy you have to have the cheese vacuum packed. Most stores and markets have the machine to do that. You can't bring cheese that isn't vacuum packed.

Just to clarify......I carry my passport to Europe, but I put it in a safe place and carry the copy around.

JAF88, just curious - did you rent from apartment-living.com? I'm also staying in an apartment on Cardinal Lemoine in June (#63), so if it happens to be the same place, I would like to hear from you about it when you are back.

Brought back unpasturized goats milk cheese two weeks ago from London, informed customs no problems. They did take my flower seed away , however.
I always carry my passport while in a foreign country, in a pouch attatched to my belt inside my pants.
If the cargo hold were not pressurized wouldn't that threaten the structural intergrity of the fuselage?

JAF88: My TC was almost arrested in Paris in November. He went to La Defense on the Carte Orange pass - wrong zone. Did not have passport with him. The Metro police called the gendarmes to take him away. Metro police let him go when they did not show up. He was scared!! It was Saturday and he would not see magistrate until Monday! Carry the passport!!

Does anybody remember on I Love Lucy when Ricky wouldn't pay extra money for Lucy to bring 25 pounds of Dutch cheese home so she dressed the cheese like a bab...mayhem ensued on the plane when they had to eat it quickly when they were informed that babies needed a ticket, too.

Funny. I also recall that Fred gave Ethel what he thought was ten dollars and Ricky explained that the ten pounds was like $25.00.

MDE: It's a 2 BR I found on VRBO. # 44863.

Thank you all for your responses. We will carry our Passports on us and will definately bring back some cheese.

>>I also recall that Fred gave Ethel what he thought was ten dollars and Ricky explained that the ten pounds was like $25.00.<<

Betty Boop, if things don't turn around for the US$, I fear that history will repeat itself and 10GBP will once again cost $25. :-))